Run, run Rudolph: Reindeer spotted on Ohio highway

Published: December 20, 2011 4:59PM

NORTON, Ohio (AP) -- No one spotted Santa Claus, but several drivers say they encountered a reindeer as they drove along a northeast Ohio highway.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports (http://bit.ly/w3HRT0 ) drivers on state Route 21 in Norton had to dodge the reindeer Sunday morning after it fell from the back of a livestock truck and walked down the middle of lanes.

Patrolman Kevin Starling grabbed a harness on the reindeer and pulled it out of traffic while an off-duty firefighter stopped oncoming vehicles.

Starling says the reindeer suffered road rash and a broken antler.

Authorities say the livestock truck was headed to a party when it hit a bump and the doors opened, allowing the reindeer to fall out. Officers found the truck and returned the reindeer to its owner.